Education and Empowerment for Refugee Girls

Summary

The Girls' Empowerment Project is an oasis of peace and hope where adolescent refugee girls, who arrive in Nairobi without their families, regain their health, join a community of support, and gain life-long tools leading them to self-sufficiency. The female refugees we serve become agents for hope and change.

Challenge

Unaccompanied adolescent girls ages 13-19 in forced displacement, especially in urban areas such as Nairobi, are at particular risk of neglect, exploitation and abuse. Without guardians to protect them and an absence of fundamental services, such as health care and education, a desperate need exists to provide them with effective tools that protect them from rape, forced marriage, prostitution, discrimination, at-risk pregnancies, slavery and HIV/AIDS.

Solution

Each participant receives holistic services designed to protect, heal and empower. They engage in a series of holistic program components, which includes education, life-skills training, case management, job skills training, daycare for girls' babies and income generation. This childcare program enables mothers to attend their education courses on site while also attending to their children throughout the day and learning about parenting.

Long-Term Impact

This project gives vulnerable young women all that they need become confident and self-sufficient community leaders - earning an income to provide for themselves and their families, and engaging the community in an important dialogue about human rights. The beneficiaries of our Program are invited to serve as peer mobilizers and lead discussions on gender based violence with others in the community. Their participation creates a shift in poverty toward a life of rebuilding and belonging.

WARNING: Javascript is currently disabled or is not available in your browser. GlobalGiving makes extensive use of Javascript and will not function properly with Javascript disabled. Please enable Javascript and refresh this page.